Frank Palma Ardaiolo

Frank Palma Ardaiolo, 77, of Seabrook Island, South Carolina, husband of Joleen Phifer Ardaiolo, entered into eternal rest on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

Frank was born October 21, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York, son of the late Salvatore Ardaiolo and the late Helen DeChicchio Ardaiolo, and identical twin to James Anthony Ardaiolo.

Frank was raised in Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal, and on Long Island, NY. As an adolescent and teenager, he spent significant time in Roberts Field, Liberia, where his father was posted for Pan Am World Airways. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Assumption University followed by a Master of Science degree in college student affairs and a Doctorate of Education in higher education from Indiana University.

In June 1989, Frank was hired as the vice president of student life at Winthrop University, having previously worked at the University of South Carolina and the University of Connecticut. He spent 29 years at the Rock Hill, SC university, a driving force behind the school’s promotion of diversity, citizenship, and international relations. Active in the development of his profession, he also served as the president of the Foundation Board of Directors of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, commonly known as NASPA.

Frank was an active member of the Rock Hill community as well. He was an original member of the city’s No Room for Racism Committee, the chair of the Committee on Human Relations, and a member of the Hispanic Education Task Force and the International Center of York County. He was also on the board of directors for Keystone Substance Abuse Services. In 2018, he was awarded the inaugural Civic Engagement Leader Award by the South Carolina Campus Compact and the Dream Keeper Award by the city of Rock Hill.

Throughout his life, Frank maintained a connection with his childhood home of Liberia. He served as chair of the Board of Trustees for Friends of Liberia, a non-profit, non-governmental organization and was a vocal advocate for U.S. intervention during the Liberian civil war of the 1990s and 2000s. He served as a United Nations-sanctioned peace monitor during the 2005 Liberian elections.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Shannon; his sons, Michael (Karisa) and Matthew; his grandson, Skyler; his brothers, Tom (Yvonne) and identical twin James (Beth); and many loving nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to Respite Care Charleston, respitecarecharleston.org/donate, 1605 Harbor View Road, Charleston, SC 29412.

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